


Just Like Coffee, I Look Forward to A Cup of You

by lowqualtom



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Cute, Dorky Peter, F/M, Fluff, No Angst, coffee shop AU, hanna could never, jk, uwu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 18:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17668214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lowqualtom/pseuds/lowqualtom
Summary: The one coffee shop AU where MJ sits and reads everyday and Peter makes her coffee.





	Just Like Coffee, I Look Forward to A Cup of You

Peter had worked in the same coffee shop since he was 16. The manager had said she likes the charm of his dorkiness and that as long as he kept it, he could keep the job. Of course, that freaked Peter and out and even to this day when he knew she was joking, it was always a nagging thought in the back of his mind during his shifts. 

Even so, he couldn’t get rid of his awkwardness no matter how hard he tried. His manager loved it, she found that whenever he worked they had a lot more customers, usually of the teenage girl variety. Girls talk and they loved to talk about Peter, in front of Peter. 

He often overheard their conversations and it would make him a blushing mess and turn him into a terrible barista. The amount of times the steam sprayed directly into his face was ridiculous. 

When he was 19, a girl ordered a soy latte and sat down in the corner of the coffee shop, pulled out a book and started reading. She sat there until Peter closed up the shop at 8pm. The same girl came every single day, never the same book but always the same order. He’d never spoken a word to her outside of her rectiting her order and him saying that it cost $4.50. 

But one day, when Peter was about to turn 21, she stopped coming. He would stare at the door every single day at 3:30pm, waiting for her to walk in wearing another shirt with a feminist icon on it and her worn out boots that matched the green army jacket she always wore. 

He couldn’t help the frown that would take over if someone sat down in her seat. It didn’t feel right. She was the longest returning customer he’d ever had and dare he say it, he missed it. He missed the girl he didn’t even know the name of, only how she liked her coffee made. Peter missed his own personal book reviewer. 

Peter could tell if she was enjoying her book or by her drink. If she enjoyed it, she’d make one coffee last the entire time there, she wouldn’t even finish it sometimes and it would turn stone cold. If she didn’t like the book, she’d drink very quickly, if it was really bad she’d go through four cups. Her brows would always be furrowed no matter what she was reading so Peter used to count the speed at which she read. If it was good, she’d flick through page after page and if it was bad, she could spend minutes on one. 

Eventually, he thought about her less and less, those mundane facts fading into the back of his mind. Now here he was at 23, fresh out of college with an engineering degree and taking a break before finding a job. He’d picked up shifts at the shop and worked pretty much all day everyday. 

He’d just taken a girls order, who winked at him and told him he had cute curls. Peter really thought he’d be over it by now but the comment still made a small blush rise up on his cheeks and attempt to stutter out a reply but decided upon saying: “Um- that’s four dollars, thanks,” 

Peter avoided eye contact with her and slid her order over to his co-worker, Betty, to make the coffee. Betty shook her head and snorted, causing Peter to look over and glare at her. “Shut up,” He mumbled. 

 

“You’ve been here for seven years, I really thought you’d get used to it by now,” She spoke over the racket of the coffee machine, focusing on the coffee instead of Peter shooting daggers at her. 

“Well, I’m not. You know I’ve only had one girlfriend and we all know how that turned out,” Peter muttered, busying himself by shuffling the food in the cabinet around. 

“Ok, so you had a panic attack when she took her bra off but you hooked up with that guy once and that other girl once. Oh, and that other other guy once,” Betty pointed out, a bit too loudly. 

“Betty,” Peter hissed, looking around to make sure no one heard. The only person looking at them was the girl from before, sitting at her table with her number. She smiled at him and gave a small wave, Peter choked. 

‘Sorry, sorry, customer by the way.” 

Peter immediately shot up, hitting his head on the frame of the food cabinet. He winced and rubbed the back of his head, standing up properly and looking at the customer by the counter. He parted his lips, eyes widening at the sight of her standing right there with a quirked brow. She was back. 

She looked different, a good different. The blue streak in her hair was gone and it no longer stayed tied up at the back of her head. Her fringe was still there but her hair was down, a couple of pieces in the front pinned back. 

She was wearing a bit of makeup, something Peter had never seen on her face before. The army jacket was still there, filled out a little more than it used to be. Underneath it she wore light blue jeans, rather than black and tucked into them, a warm orange turtle neck. 

He gulped, still rubbing the back of his head. “That-that’s uh, four dollars fifty.” 

“I haven’t ordered anything yet,” An amused smirk planted on her face. 

“Well, I mean,” Peter blushed, he really had to stop doing that. “Soy latte?” 

“Yeah,” She tried to mask the surprise in her voice as she handed over the change. “Surprised you remember that.” 

“You used to have me make four in a day sometimes, how could I forget?” He looked up at her and slid the order over to Betty, who was thoroughly confused. 

The girl said nothing, just smiled and sat down in her regular spot for the first time in over two years. 

Peter knew Betty was about to question whatever just happened, but there was nothing for him to say. He barely knew what just happened himself, all he knew was that he suddenly couldn’t stop smiling. 

He grabbed the ‘cute curls’ girl’s coffee and took it over to her table to avoid Betty for at least a couple of minutes. She was very different from the book girl, looks wise at least. This girl was undoubtedly pretty, with straight blonde hair and blue eyes. What Peter found the most different though was that this girl sat on her phone the whole time while he was convinced his girl didn’t even own a phone. 

Peter ignored the comment about how his eyes were pretty, putting her cup down and grabbing her table number, giving her a small smile before turning on his heel and walking away. He was still attempting to avoid Betty and since the shop had gotten quiet he walked around cleaning up dishes and wiping down tables. 

By the time he’s finished, he notices that her cup is empty so he immediately goes up to the coffee machine and makes her another one. Betty is still confused, even more so that in the short time she turned away to get new milk bottles, Peter has suddenly started making a drink. She’s learned not to question Peter about certain things because she knows she’ll never get a straight answer, so she ignores it. 

Michelle hasn’t noticed her drink has gone, but she does when another one is placed in front of her. Looking up from her book, she sees an awkwardly smiling Peter. 

“Not a good book?” He asks, gesturing to the empty cup he’s now picked up. 

“No, not the best I’ve ever read, how’d you know?” She narrows her eyes up at him. “Also, I didn’t order this.” 

“I know,” He shrugs. “But you were going to eventually. Consider it on the house.” 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Michelle shuts her book and puts it down, clasping her hands on top of it. “How’d you know I don’t like the book?” 

“Oh, um,” Peter chewed on his cheek. “I noticed that when you like the book you take forever to drink your coffee because you’re so caught up in it but if you don’t like the book you drink quickly, I’m guessing in a way to avoid reading.” 

She raised her eyebrows up at him, surprised he noticed something she hadn’t even known about herself and that he cared enough to remember it after all these years. 

“Not-not that I- like- stare at you, or anything,” Peter stuttered, visibly shrinking into himself. “I just noticed it because you know- I had to make the coffee and stuff, I- yeah.” 

“Yeah, I don’t care,” Michelle replied, picking the book back up. “I’m almost impressed you noticed that.” 

“Almost?” 

“Almost.” 

Peter stood awkwardly at the table for a few seconds before realising the conversation was over and taking the dirty cup back to the kitchen. 

The next day, she didn’t finish her first cup. Peter found out she transferred to out of the state, hence the reason for her disappearance and recent return. Michelle found out Peter’s favourite plant was a bridal veil, the same one that hung above her table in the shop. 

The day after, she had one and half cups. Peter found out she’d been dairy-free for 6 years. Michelle found out Peter’s best friend was named Ned and that they had plans to watch Star-Wars together that night. 

A week later, she finished one cup. Peter realised she was working her way through all of Angela Y. Davis’s works, he googled it and found out she had 15. Michelle noticed Peter staring at a boy with curly black hair with a faint blush on his cheeks. Michelle found herself wishing the boy never came and got his stupid drink and his stupid carrot cake. 

A month went by of this, small snippets of conversations between them and each picking up things about the other. Even so, Peter still had no idea what her name was. He referred to her as pretty book girl in his head, although, he wasn’t sure when the pretty part got put in front of her title. 

Michelle was starting to focus less and less on her books and more on watching Peter. It wasn’t until she eavesdropped one of his conversations that she realised she should really tell him her name. She did know his after all, she’d known it since she was 19 and he still had no idea who she was. He probably thought of her as the random regular who reads too many books. 

She uses the term eavesdropped lightly, she couldn’t actually understand what he was saying. A family of tourists had approached the counter, speaking broken yet still understandable English to Peter and in another language to each other. 

Peter interrupted them, speaking in the families own language. He wasn’t fluent by any means, but he could hold enough conversation to make things easier for them. Michelle watched on, enthralled at the second language flying out of his mouth and how intently he was listening to the mother of the family, enthralled by how much he seemed to care about them. 

It wasn’t until she figured out Peter had asked what their names were from the way the mother pointed to herself and her family as she stated their names that she realised Peter still had no idea what hers was. So when he brought her her third soy latte for the afternoon, well, now evening, she told him. 

The cup clinked as he put it down, smiling at her before starting to turn away. “Michelle, my name is Michelle.” 

“Michelle,” He said her name as if he was afraid to lose it and smiled so wide, yet so soft down at her. Peter turned back to face her, offering his hand out. “Peter, Peter Parker.” 

“I know,” She shrugged and shook his hand, her heart jumping into her throat at the touch. Michelle laughed a little at his furrowed brows. “Your name tag?” 

Peter blushed a little and laughed, his hand still holding hers. “I forgot about that.” 

 

“Jones, by the way. My last name is Jones. My friends call me MJ.” 

“MJ.” 

“Peter.” 

Peter smiled even wider before noticing he was still holding her hand. He suddenly had the thought that his palms were probably really sweaty and that he should stop holding her hand because she probably thought he was gross. So, he ripped his hand away from her and smiled awkwardly. 

MJ cleared her throat and looked back at her book, a blush taking over her face for once. “You uh- was Italian? That you were speaking before?” 

“Oh, yeah, yeah it was. My Aunt is Italian so I can hold a conversation, she liked to yell at me in Italian,” Peter laughed slightly and scratched the back of his neck. 

“It sounded nice, you should speak Italian more often.” 

Peter choked again, sure, girls always hit on him and he always felt awkward but this time it was her. It was her, the girl who he’d known for years and known the name of for two minutes. He could feel his heart jumping around like a rabbit and his stomach lurched into his mouth before swimming back down and settling in a knot. 

“You uh- don’t tell that to my Aunt, she might make me only speak in Italian to her from then on,” Peter chuckled, running a hand through his curls. 

“Maybe I will tell your Aunt that then,” MJ smirked, looking up at him. 

He opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Betty calling his name, he turned around to see her nodding her head towards the line of customers that had just formed. His eyes widened and he turned to MJ, pointing towards the counter. She gave him a wave, giving him permission to run off and do his job. 

As the longest and most trusted employee other than the manager, Peter was left to close up once again. Everyone had gone home, the only souls left in the now dim shop was Peter and MJ. He’d just finished cleaning and turning everything off, leaving only the front lights on. 

When he was a couple years younger, he found the place creepy in this setting. He’s not going to lie, he still did. It was such a vast contrast compared to during the day. During the day, the place was bustling, the sun would shine in through the large windows, heating up the bricks and warming the whole shop. The smell of coffee was his favourite smell, some of his best memories came along with it. 

At night it was like everything was flipped, but it was never quiet. New York being the city that never sleeps and all. 

Peter took his apron off, hanging it on his hook and grabbed his hoodie and jacket to replace it. After both were comfortably on and he felt cozy enough to brave the cold, he walked to the front door, grabbing out the key to lock up. He looked at Michelle, noticing that she was on the last page of her book, so he waited until she was done. “How’re you getting home?” 

MJ looked at him as she shrugged her jacket on, tucking the book over her arm and her purse over her shoulder. “Walking.” 

“What way are you going?” He fiddled with the keys in his hand, hitting them against his fingers rapidly. 

“That way,” Michelle replied as she walked over to him, point to the left. 

“Oh, same.” Peter opened the door for her, nodding at her small thanks before turning around to lock the shop up. 

“You usually go right,” She stated but blushed when she realised how she must sound to him. 

“I’m staying with my Aunt tonight, she says she’s made me dinner but I’m scared to be honest. She’s not the most amazing chef so I’m honestly expecting to end up eating Thai food,” He laughed and walked next to her, both of them beginning to walk at a rather slow pace. 

“I mean, there’s nothing wrong with Thai,” MJ noted, kicking her feet in the small layer of snow. 

“No, no there’s not,” Peter laughed. “Where are you headed?” 

“Just my apartment, my roommate makes the best cupcakes so I’m going home, eating a cupcake and then doing some editing.” 

“Editing?” 

“I don’t read all day for no reason, I’m an editor, I work from home. So I can pretty much do whatever I want.” 

“Oh, that’s pretty cool. You got a job doing something you enjoy doing, I admire that,” 

“Thanks,” MJ smiles, looking at Peter who smiled at her. “What about you? I can’t believe you’re still working there.” 

“Neither can I, honestly,” Peter laughed. “I’ve just been there for so long it feels like my second home. I have a degree in electrical engineering and Stark Industries have just asked me if I’d be interested in working there so that’s cool I guess.” 

“No, that’s really cool. I’ll miss you when you leave,” 

Peter shook his head and laughed a little. Neither spoke another word as they walked with their elbows brushing every once in a while. The silence was comfortable, both relishing in the feeling of an old friend. 

They reached Michelle’s apartment first, Peter coming to a stop on the front steps when she did. He watched as the taller girl turned to him, a gentle smile adorning her features. “I’d invite you in for a cupcake but your Aunt is probably waiting for you.” 

“Bring me one tomorrow, you’ll be there, won’t you?” 

“Of course I will be,” Michelle answered with a slightly sarcastic tone, causing Peter to laugh the tiniest bit. 

Neither wanted to leave, both felt as if they had been waiting for this moment for so long and now it was finally here. A weight had been lifted off their chests and they could finally be themselves again. This moment felt right. 

Peter watched as their breaths mingled together, visible in the cold. It was then he realised how close to each other they were, he could almost hear her heartbeat, it sounded so intense he was almost scared it was going to jump right into his own chest. 

Michelle was nervous, she never got nervous. MJ knew what she wanted and she always got it, this was new. She didn’t know what she wanted, actually, she did. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to kiss her but she didn’t think she would get it this time. 

Her head told her it was too soon, that she didn’t know this boy, that he could be a serial killer. 

Even so, she did know this boy. Her heart knew this boy. 

MJ knew this boy cared about everyone he’d ever laid eyes on, he cared so furiously and she knew he’d love even more passionately. She knew he enjoyed when the food was in alphabetical order and when the table numbers went out in numerical order. Michelle knew he’d probably read all the books she never finished a coffee within. 

Her heart was screaming at her, if not now, when? Her heart was pumping it’s angry fist against its cage, begging to burst into colour. Michelle’s ribs ached from the effort of keeping her tame. 

Before she knew what was happening, her hands moved to his shoulder and her lips connected to his own. 

She felt her stomach concave into itself. Her lips blushed as he kissed her back, placing a hand on her cheek and one on her waist. Michelle quivered under his fingers as they planted seeds along the lines he drew. 

To Peter’s dismay, she pulled away, realising that the kiss that felt like forever lasted mere seconds. He’d never wanted to feel so lost in time before. 

His hand was still cupping her cheek, his thumb tugging on her bottom lip gently. 

“I, uh, I should probably go eat my cupcake now,” MJ whispered, snapping the silence between them in half. 

Peter nodded vigorously as they stepped away from each other. Michelle tugged at her jacket nervously before waking up the stairs, tripping over one as she looked back at him. 

Peter smiled, slowly walking down the few he had climbed. “Soy Latte for a cupcake tomorrow?” 

Michelle looked back at him from the top of the stairs, smiling. “Sounds like a goodbye trade to me.”

**Author's Note:**

> hello this was cute shout out to dua for the one shot idea heh  
> find me on twitter @/lowqualtom


End file.
